Health insurance options in Boston
Residents of Boston and Suffolk County buy coverage from two markets: the Massachusetts Health Connector, with guaranteed-issue plans from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim, Tufts Health Plan, Mass General Brigham Health Plan, and WellSense priced on income, and the private shared-network market, with PPO plans on Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO priced on health. Most people in Boston have only been shown the first.
What it costs in Boston
A healthy 40-year-old in Boston pays roughly $550–$850 a month full price on the marketplace in 2026, or roughly $320–$480 on a private PPO. A family of four: roughly $1,500–$2,500 marketplace full price versus $800–$1,300 private. Prices depend on age, deductible and health; see live numbers on the quoting tool.
Keeping your Boston doctors
Marketplace plans in Massachusetts are increasingly HMOs tied to one hospital system. The Cigna, Aetna and PHCS PPO PPO networks include most major providers in Suffolk County and work in every state — we check your specific doctors before you enroll.
The Massachusetts factor
Massachusetts is one of the most tightly regulated individual markets in the country: the state mandate requires coverage that meets minimum creditable coverage rules, and many non-ACA plans don't. Private options here are narrower than in most states, so the honest answer is usually a careful comparison, not a promise of savings. Massachusetts has its own individual mandate: adults must carry coverage that meets the state's minimum creditable coverage standard or owe a penalty on their state return.